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Opinion | Hong Kong election system overhaul reveals Beijing’s displeasure with the pro-establishment camp
- Not only has Beijing lost patience with troublemakers, but it is also fed up with the ineffective patriots who are supposed to counter the opposition
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Beijing is cleaning house, and it’s not just getting rid of those troublesome obstructionists; they may not be the only ones Beijing has found lacking in “patriotism”. Given the electoral overhaul the National People’s Congress has just rolled out – which had definitely been in the works for a while now – Beijing is determined to clear out more clutter.
In other words, the central leadership has lost all patience when it comes to both the troublemakers and the ineffective patriots who are supposed to counter the rise of the opposition. Not only have the traditional “love China, love Hong Kong” political force not managed to curb popular support for the opposition, the pro-establishment camp failed to stop the few extremist and fringe groups from gaining traction.
And so, Beijing has effectively redefined “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong”, not only by adding a “patriotic” paradigm, but also by weeding out the ineffectual and those lacking in political acumen.
We can at least understand that last bit. The political sparring of yesteryears is long gone. It’s not only that civility has disappeared, but the quality of deliberation too.
While democratic representation increased through electoral reform, this did not make for better deliberation. “Debate” had turned into foul-smelling bags of rotten plants thrown inside the Legislative Council chamber, epitomising the rot within our political system.
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Beijing tells Hong Kong leader to ‘seriously implement’ overhaul of city’s electoral system
Beijing tells Hong Kong leader to ‘seriously implement’ overhaul of city’s electoral system
That the pro-establishment camp is sharing the blame for this turn of events is quite obvious when we look at the electoral changes Beijing is introducing.
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